It is an important factor to ensure that your blog (or website) runs smoothly and can be generated quickly with minimal effort. Not only do you want to prepare a website for SEO (Search Engine Optimization), but you also want to prepare a website for major traffic loads (in order to save yourself from a headache, later on).

If a user on a 56k modem has to wait 40 seconds to load up, chances are… they wont stay for the ‘big show’. There is a multitude of tips that you can check out in order to make your website quicker. Here is a small list:

• Table Design: I hate to say it, we hated doing it when we first started HTML. Try to get in the habit of using Nested tables instead of cell merges/splits. If you separate your design into multiple tables, each table will appear on the screen as it loads up. This will also give the perception of faster load ups. (Tables are not the best method, but they work!)
• WP-Super Cache: For a blog (that uses wordpress), ensure that you install WP-Super Cache plugin. This is rather critical. I saw greatly improved load times with this turned on (though live editing is a bit of a pain, you have to reset the cache every time you want to see an update - if there is one).
• The Heavy Stuff: Avoid the use of heavy images, java scripts, or flash scripts that may slow down your site. Unless your running your site on a dedicated server, this can greatly hinder your performance. I know, a bit of a drag, but you can find ways to optimize each of those.. you just have to find a balance.
• Optimize Your Images: I hardly noticed this until someone brought it up in a forum. If you use Adobe Photoshop, make sure that when you save, you “Save For Web”. Sure, it might slightly decrease quality (but not really), it will greatly improve the size of the image. I was able to shave off about 10 seconds of loading time for a 56k modem JUST because I did this with my images on ThinkBlogger!
• Cut down: Ensure to cut down on a lot of images that you can spare, or even images that are very large but compact. Also, never resize an image on your web page.. Resize it in your photoshop/paintshop pro (while saving a backup) and then just put it on the internet. Ensure to put the right width/height tags as well.

Making your website load-friendly makes me much happier. So do not forget to do it!

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